Recognition
by TheFredtoherGeorge
Summary: On the train to Hogwarts at the beginning of their fourth year, Rose, Al, and Scorpius each notice some new developments that could change the dynamics of their friendships forever.
1. Rose

Having hugged both her parents and various aunts and uncles on the platform, located an empty compartment near the middle of the train, and hauled her trunk into the overhead storage space, Rose Weasley retrieved a well-worn paperback book from her shoulder bag and curled herself comfortably into a seat near the window. September the first had arrived once more and Rose was returning to Hogwarts for her fourth year of magical education.

Rose had only just found her place and begun to become immersed in the story when the door slid open and the sound of masculine laughter jarred her senses back to reality.

"You should have seen the bloke's face!" Al Potter was exclaiming through laughter to someone just behind him. "Hi Rosie. Thanks for saving a compartment for us."

Rose smiled back at her cousin as he dragged his own trunk into the small room. She and Al, being only a couple of months apart in age, had been best friends more or less since birth. When they had come to Hogwarts for their first year, fellow Gryffindor Scorpius Malfoy had joined their group, forming a virtually inseparable trio. Uncle Harry often laughed about how much the three of them reminded him of himself and Rose's parents during their own school days.

"I wish I could have been there, mate. I really do." Scorpius chuckled as he appeared in the doorway. Rose smiled at him briefly before returning her eyes to her book, which she nearly dropped as she jerked her head up and stared at the blonde boy in front of her.

When they had gone their separate ways in June, Scorpius had appeared just as he always had: short and skinny with very pale skin and straight blonde hair that he'd kept neatly cut. Although only two and a half months had passed, it seemed to Rose as if an entirely different person was now standing before her. He was noticeably taller and although his frame was still very lean, his shoulders had broadened and there was muscular definition in his arms that Rose was sure had not been there before. His face had also matured. The smooth, boyish roundness was gone from his cheeks, replaced by the faintest hint of blonde stubble. Finally, his hair had apparently been left uncut through the summer and was now hanging carelessly in his grey eyes, which were currently focused on her.

Rose felt herself blushing as she quickly tore her eyes away to stare at the book in her lap. She could feel her pulse racing and the compartment suddenly seemed uncomfortably warm. She bit down on her lower lip and attempted to steady her breathing but the sharp, tingling sensation in her upper abdomen continued. Rose was a very astute witch and she knew exactly what she was experiencing. What she was unsure about was how she ought to react to this new situation.

Scorpius cleared his throat. "Err, Hello Rose. Good summer?"

"Yes, thank you," she answered, focusing on keeping her voice steady. "How was yours?"

Scorpius shrugged. "Rather dull, to be honest. I wish I'd been allowed to stay at Al's again this year, but my mother complained that they hadn't seen enough of me and insisted that I come home. Next year, though, right Al?"

There was a moment of silence and Rose glanced up at Al, who was looking between the two of them and wearing an odd expression. Suddenly he blinked, shook his head slightly, and responded, "Right, mate. Next year."

The trio fell silent again as Al and Scorpius stowed their trunks and took their seats. Rose looked back down at her book and pretended to read as she allowed her thoughts to wander. How was she supposed to act normal around her friends if her breath hitched every time she looked Scorpius in the eye? It would be easy enough to hide an attraction to someone she only saw in certain classes or during occasional meals, but it would be quite another matter when she spent nearly every waking moment with the boy. Surely, she would give herself away sooner or later and then what? Would the boys take the mickey out of her? Would her interactions with them become awkward and uncomfortable? What if Scorpius didn't fancy her back? What if he did?

Rose was very much in need of a sympathetic ear and some good advice and it seemed all too obvious who she should ask. She decided she would owl her mother as soon as she'd settled into the dorm that evening, since she couldn't very well write the letter while sitting in the compartment with the boys. After all, her own Mum had fallen for her best mate in school - and ended up marrying him! Rose blushed even deeper as this thought crossed her mind. Merlin, this year was going to be difficult!


	2. Scorpius

Scorpius was laughing. It felt good to laugh. Thinking back, he couldn't remember having had an occasion to laugh since he and his friends had parted ways in June. Now that he was back with his best mate, on his way to begin his fourth year at Hogwarts, laughing felt wonderful. It felt like the most natural thing in the world. It made him feel like he was home.

"You should have seen the bloke's face!" Al continued through his own laughter as he stepped through a doorway and into a compartment. "Hi Rosie. Thanks for saving a compartment for us."

"I wish I could have been there, mate. I really do." Scorpius replied, still laughing, as he followed his friend. Rose Weasley was sitting in a corner of the compartment, her legs tucked up to her side on the seat and a battered paperback book in her hand. She looked up and flashed him a brilliant smile as he entered the compartment.

Scorpius froze. The girl sitting in front of him was definitely Rose Weasley. He'd known her since he was eleven. Her curly red hair, her fair, freckled skin, and her bright blue eyes were as familiar to him as his own features. But he couldn't help but feel that there was something different about her.

He allowed his eyes to wander for a moment, taking in the smooth, pale skin of her legs, her slender arms, and her impossibly tiny waist, which was accented by the fitted shirt she had chosen to wear that day. Scorpius had always thought Rose was very pretty, not that he would openly admit that to either of his best friends. His eyes moved again and his breath hitched. Bloody hell, when had she gotten -

Scorpius tore his eyes from Rose's chest just in time to meet her gaze. Her eyes dropped suddenly and the famous Weasley blush crept over her features. Had she caught him looking? He cleared his throat and spoke, attempting to break the tension.

"Err, Hello Rose. Good summer?"

"Yes, thank you," she replied, to his relief. "How was yours?"

Scorpius shrugged. "Rather dull, to be honest. I wish I'd been allowed to stay at Al's again this year, but my mother complained that they hadn't seen enough of me and insisted that I come home. Next year, though, right Al?"

It took Scorpius a moment to register that Al had not answered him. He glanced over to see the black-haired boy giving him a strange look. Al glanced over at Rose, then back at Scorpius, this time meeting his eyes. This seemed to shake him from his thoughts. "Right, mate. Next year," he replied.

Scorpius suddenly realized that he was still standing in the doorway, holding his trunk. He busied himself with the task of pulling the trunk inside the compartment and stowing it away in the overhead rack. Then he sat down, leaving an empty seat between himself and Rose, and pulled a pack of exploding snap cards from the pocket of his jacket. As he and Al began to play and Rose returned to reading her book, Scorpius tried to make sense of his thoughts.

He, Al, and Rose had been best friends since first year. Of course he had always known that Rose was a girl, but somehow he never thought of her the way he had thought about other girls. She was less confusing, easier to talk to, and didn't make him lose track of his thoughts when he looked at her. But now - he snuck a sideways glance at her and noticed that she was chewing on her lower lip, as she often did when she was thinking deeply about something. Scorpius was trying to figure out why he found it so hard to tear his eyes away from Rose's mouth when she suddenly smiled to herself an began to blush again. Finding himself short of breath for the second time since he'd stepped into the compartment, Scorpius determinedly returned his focus to the card game in front of him. Merlin, this year was going to be confusing!


	3. Albus

Albus Potter made his way through the train, peering into compartments as he went, while telling the story of a particularly amusing prank he had pulled over the summer to his best mate, Scorpius Malfoy.

"You should have seen the bloke's face!" Al concluded, laughing, as he stopped in front of the compartment that he had been looking for and pulled open the door. "Hi Rosie. Thanks for saving a compartment for us."

Rose looked up from the book she'd been reading and acknowledged her cousin with a smile. Scorpius followed Al into the compartment, laughing as well.

"I wish I could have been there, mate. I really do."

Al had just lifted his trunk onto the overhead storage rack when the sudden silence that had settled on the trio caught his attention. He glanced over his shoulder, nearly dropping the heavy luggage on himself when he observed the way that his cousin and best friend were staring at each other.

"Oh bugger it all," Al thought to himself as he pushed his trunk fully onto the rack and turned around, looking back and forth between the two. They both seemed frozen, wearing expressions of mild shock as they took in each other's appearance. Al found himself remembering a conversation he had shared with his Dad during the summer.

_Albus tumbled off his broom as it swooped low to the ground and lay, sprawled on the grass in front of his Dad and Uncle Ron, breathing heavily._

_"All right there, Son?" Harry asked, with a hint of amusement in his voice._

_"Rose...new broom...fast...can't keep...up," Albus panted, pointing a finger upward in the vague direction of his cousin, who was still swooping around through the air along with several other redheads._

_Ron began to chuckle. "See that, Harry? That's my little girl who is kicking your son's arse!"_

_Harry ignored the jibe, leaning forward to offer his son a hand and hoist him up into a sitting position. He then conjured a glass, filled it with water, and handed that to Al, who accepted it gratefully and began to drink._

_"You kids seem to be having a good summer," Harry commented, sitting back in his chair and looking up at the bevy of flying teenagers._

_"Of course," Al responded. "It's not quite the same without Scor here though. I don't know what his parents are playing at, making him stay home this year. It's not as if they ever cared before. He told me once that his Dad thought he was 'making important connections' by being friends with me and Rose."_

_Both Harry and Ron laughed at this._

_"Imagine that, Harry! We're 'important connections' now! Back in school we were just a couple of blood traitors. Now he's encouraging his son to rub elbows with us!" Ron laughed._

_"Yes, well, Draco was always more interested in image and status than anything else," Harry commented. _

_"Yeah, he's always pestering Scor about 'redeeming the Malfoy name'. It drives him mad," Al replied._

_"I can imagine," Harry agreed. Suddenly, Harry grinned and turned to look at Ron. "I wonder how Draco will take it when Scorpius decides to officially join our family."_

_"Harry!" Ron spoke with warning in his voice. "We are not having this discussion again."_

_Harry chuckled. "I wasn't the one who first mentioned it, mate. You said it yourself at King's Cross. I'm just telling you it's going to happen sooner or later. You might as well get used to the idea."_

_"What are you two on about?" Al interjected with an expression of deep confusion on his face._

_"Your father has a theory," replied Ron. "He thinks Scorpius and Rose will end up together."_

_"Together?"_

_"Married," Ron clarified._

_Al looked back at his father with a horrified expression. Harry just laughed._

_"I'm sure it seems absurd to you, Son, but trust me. I've seen it before. One minute you're all three great friends and having lots of laughs together and the next thing you know, you're standing in the middle of a war zone while your two best friends are snogging each other like there's no tomorrow."_

_"Oy! That's not fair. At that point, we weren't sure there was going to be a tomorrow!" Ron shot back._

_"Nevertheless," Harry replied. "Just be prepared, Al. It can be a bit disorienting when you find yourself the odd man out for the first time. They'll always be your best friends. It just changes things somewhat."_

_Al was quiet for a moment as he sat on the pitch, watching his cousins fly around above him._

_"I don't know, Dad," he commented. "I really don't see Rose and Scorpius becoming a couple. I mean, they're great friends and all, but they're always bickering and sniping at each other."_

_Ron rolled his eyes and scowled. Harry only smiled._

Al was shocked from his revirie by the realization that both of his friends were now staring at him rather than at each other. Scorpius had asked him a question. What had it been? Something about next summer.

"Right, mate. Next year," he muttered, dropping into a seat while Scorpius stowed his luggage. Had his father been correct? Were his cousin and his best mate starting to fancy each other? What if they started dating? What if they started snogging? Al shuddered slightly as Scorpius pulled out a pack of exploding snap cards and they began to play. As much as he tried to focus on the game, Al couldn't help but notice that Scorpius kept sneaking glances at Rose as she sat in the corner, reading her book. Merlin, this year was going to be awkward!


End file.
